Tyrael
"He has intervened for the sake of humankind time and again, for he sees the potential for heroism and selflessness in each of us. He has even acted against the mandates of his fellow Council members to fight on our behalf. For that alone I always have and always will believe in him." -Deckard CainBook of Cain Tyrael, formerly the Archangel of Justice,' '''now the '''Aspect of Wisdom', is an archangel-turned mortal—something of a maverick to the High Heavens, and a stalwart defender of Sanctuary. Biography The Great Conflict The Great Conflict was fought for time immemorial, and Tyrael was no exception in regards to waging it. As the Archangel of Justice, his exploits in battle became the stuff of legend.Diablo III Tyrael Standing Premium Tee. J!NX, accessed on 2014-01-16 Off the battlefield, he administered the Courts of Justice. One such engagement was in battle against demon forces led by Diablo himself. The Lord of Terror was captured, with Tyrael and Auriel pointing out that holding him captive would serve their cause better than slaying the demon outright, knowing that he would return. Imperius carried out his own form of justice regardless.Wrath Izual served as Tyrael's lieutenant during the aeons of war, but was captured by Hell during an assault on the Hellforge.Diablo Manual Inarius also served under him and tried to make him see the futility of the conflict, but Tyrael would not be swayed.Birthright Either way, the Great Conflict ground to a halt on its own—the Worldstone had disappeared, and the forces of Heaven and Hell could only blame each other before realizing that a third party had absconded with the artifact. The Sin War :"I did call them abominations...and I was wrong! My vote is for them...For I would see what they might become...and marvel in it." —Tyrael vouches for humanity's continued existence In the course of the Sin War, Heaven would come to discover what Hell had already done so—Sanctuary. A world created by rogue angels and demons led by Lilith and Inarius. A world inhabited by the race of Men—beings descended from the nephalem, who had been brought into the world through the coupling of angels and demons. Venturing into the world, Tyrael spirited away Achilios, telling him that he had need of him.Scales of the Serpent He forced him to target his Edyrem comrades including their leader Uldyssian, seeing them as key threats and unnatural blights upon the face of Creation. Achilios managed to refuse however, surprising Tyrael. He later convinced the edyrem that Uldyssian had been possessed by Malic. Surveying the situation, Tyrael was satisfied. Despite earlier considerations, he would not have these "abominations" allying with Heaven. They had to be eliminated due to the threat their inherant powers posed. And with the edyrem fragmented, Sanctuary's potential defenders would not be able to stand against his justice. As such, Tyrael was among the Heavenly Host who descended upon the world, meeting in battle with the edyrem and the Demonic Hordes themselves. Uldyssian, realizing that his growing power risked the destruction of the world, sacrificed himself to end the battle, saving Sanctuary, all those he loved, and perhaps most importantly of all, his own humanity. It was an act that touched Tyrael and swayed his heart—he had called these beings abominations. Yet no abomination would have made such a sacrifice as Uldyssian had. The Angiris Council convened to discuss Sanctuary's fate. Imperius opted to eradicate Inarius and Lilith's progeny while Auriel and Itherael voted in favor of humanity, believing that humanity's potential to serve the Light could surpass even their roles and that the Conflict might be ended for good. Malthael abstained. Thus, the deciding vote would be left to Tyrael—were he to side with Imperius (as everyone suspected he would), Sanctuary would be destroyed, as a tie would still result in their original goal being carried out. Tyrael however, sided with humanity. They would be left to their own devices, free to choose between Light and Dark.The Veiled Prophet The Dark Exile Tyrael would at times make sojourns into Sanctuary, a case in point being aiding the hero Siggard in battle at Entsteig.Demonsbane However, greater tragedy was to come—Hell had not given up on Sanctuary, believing that humanity could be swayed to their cause. This was a view not shared by the Lesser Evils however, and in what became known as the Dark Exile, the Prime Evils were banished into Sanctuary. However, they were still capable of bringing woe to the mortal realm, and by the time Tyrael discovered their actions, they'd been active for decades. This concerned Tyrael greatly—Sanctuary had been spared by a margin of one vote when the Angiris Council had discussed its fate. If Heaven learned that Hell was focused on Man, it might carry out what he and Imperius once, and perhaps still, intended. As such, he kept silent. He would intervene on Sanctuary's behalf, and do so alone. Fashioning three soulstones out of the Worldstone, Tyrael gathered a number of mages, forming a group called the Horadrim. Over many years, they hunted down the three Primes. Mephisto fell first, and Baal second, though he shattered the soulstone meant for him in battle. With the suggestion that a mortal heart could serve as a surrogate soulstone, Tal Rasha stepped forward, plunging the stone into his flesh. Tyrael assured him that his sacrifice would not be forgotten, and led the mages to a tomb beneath the sands of Aranoch. Finally, after a decade of searching, the Horadrim confronted Diablo in the lands of Khanduras. The soulstone worked and was hidden away within a labyrinthine cave system near the River Talsande. Tyrael appeared before the Horadrim one last time, commending them for having achieved a victory despite their losses. He declared that the site would have to be guarded and to this end, the Horadrim errected a monestary over the site. Tyrael had succeeded—the Primes were captured, Sanctuary still existed and Heaven was none the wiser. However, he had not counted on the Prime Evils' ability to exert their will over Men.Diablo II Manual Over time, Mephisto would corrupt the Zakarum faith and Diablo would do likewise through the archbishop Lazarus.Diablo Manual The Return of Evil :"Stop! The beast contained herein shall not be set free — not even by you." —Tyrael confronts the Dark WandererDiablo II, The Infernal Gate (intro cinematic) In 1263,Diablo Timeline (defunct web page) Diablo escaped from his prison by corrupting the spirit of Aidan, hence referred to as the Dark Wanderer. He headed east, seeking to free his brothers, Mephisto and Baal. Baal was first, bound to Tal Rasha's body. Tyrael appeared to stop the release and did battle with the Wanderer. However, another had traveled with the Wanderer—Marius, and thanks to the demon's manipulations, released the Lord of Destruction. Tyrael telepathically ordered Marius to take Baal's soulstone to the Temple of Light in Kurast, where he would find a gateway to Hell and by extension, the Hellforge, where the stone could be destroyed. Immediately afterwards, Tyrael was ensared by Baal and bound to the Binding Stone.Diablo II, The Infernal Gate Tyrael came to be freed by a group of heroes who were pursuing the Dark Wanderer. They traveled to the Pandemonium Fortress, where he guided them to face Izual and Diablo himself. He dared not help them directly, as he had been weakened by Baal and feared that direct action could lead to the High Heavens discovering the danger Sanctuary was in. The heroes prevailed however, and Diablo's soulstone was destroyed, as was the stone of Mephisto.Diablo II, The Harrowing Marius, however, had not been so courageous. He had failed to venture into Hell and consequently, the stone was still in his possession. Possession that switched to Baal himself, now the last Prime Evil active in Sanctuary.Diablo II Ending Baal marched on Mount Arreat, intending to corrupt the Worldstone and in doing so, shackle humanity to Hell's cause. To this end, Tyrael transported the heroes to Harrogath, but weakened as he was, could not face Baal directly.Diablo II: Lord of Destruction The heroes came to defeat Baal, but were too late to prevent him corrupting the Worldstone. After transporting the heroes to safety, Tyrael cast his sword into the stone, shattering it. The resulting explosion destroyed Tyrael's physical form and rendered Arreat and the surrounding lands a barren wasteland. Worse still, although humanity had been saved yet again by the Archangel of Justice, the destruction of the Worldstone meant the world was open to both Heaven and Hell. The End of Days :"You cannot judge me. I am justice itself! We were meant for more than this! To protect the innocent! But if our precious laws bind you all to inaction ... then I will no longer stand as your brother." —Tyrael's parting wordsDiablo III, ''Act II Intro Cinematic'' By 1285, Tyrael had regained physical form. Once again, evil threatened Sanctuary, this time from the Lesser Evils Belial and Azmodan. He promised that Man would not face the coming darkness alone. Imperius however, had since discovered his transgressions, and was unmoved by Tyrael's defiance. The two came to blows before Tyrael declared that if Heaven would not intervene on Man's behalf, he'd do so himself. Tearing off his wings, Tyrael deliberately chose to become mortal, sacrificing his angelic essence. In doing so, Tyrael hoped to demonstrate to the High Heavens that laws could be bent for a greater good. Now mortal, Tyrael fell to Sanctuary as the Falling Star, smashing into the Tristram Cathedral. The journey left him weakened, but he was saved by a group of heroes, among which was a nephalem. Tyrael suffered from amnesia and over the first few days of his now mortal life, he tried to fight his body's need for sleep, something that he'd had no need for as an angel. When exhaustion took over, he dreamt—another new experience that filled him with disquiet. As an archangel who had watched entire generations of Men live and die, studying the forces that governed their lives, he had previously come to the conclusion that he'd learnt everything there was to know about being mortal. It was an assumption that the reality of his mortality shattered. By retrieving the shards of El'druin, Tyrael's memory was restored, and Belial's followers were defeated. However, his old friend, Deckard Cain, was killed in the battle, survived by his adopted daughter Leah, daughter of Aidan.Diablo III, Act 1 The pair carried out Deckard's funeral before heading east, to Caldeum. Caldeum was suffering from Belial's machinations, but there was a hope in the darkness. Adria, Leah's estranged mother, joined the heroes, presenting the Black Soulstone, capable of capturing all the lords of Hell within it. Thanks to the heroes, Caldeum revolted against Belial and the Lord of Lies himself was imprisoned within the soulstone.Diablo III, Act II. All that was left was Azmodan. And thanks to a vision Leah had, Tyrael and the others learnt that his forces were amassing at the Arreat Crater.Diablo III, Act III Intro Cinematic The group headed for Bastion's Keep, where the forces of Sanctuary and Hell met in battle. After a titanic struggle, the heroes came to confront Azmodan himself, capturing his essence in the Black Soulstone. Victory seemed assurred, though Adria pointed out the stone would have to be destroyed under specific circumstances. Adria, however, had been in league with Diablo since he awakened in Tristram, and turned the artifact on Leah. To the group's horror, it was revealed that Diablo had bred her as a vessel. A vessel that would contain the essences of the Seven Great Evils, all so neatly packaged within the Black Soulstone. Diablo now stood as the Prime Evil, and departed for the High Heavens. Tyrael and the others followed him.Diablo III, Act III Diablo and his forces rampaged through the High Heavens and Tyrael gave into despair. He reflected on his actions, wondering if it was mortal weakness that had prevented him from seeing through Adria's deception. Whether by siding with mankind, had he set the End of Days in Motion. As Diablo's assault continued, as he heard the wails of his breathren as they were torn apart, Tyrael became crippled with terror—a mortal emotion that he had never truly comprehended until now. However, his human companions refused to give up, and turned the tide of the invasion, even casting down Diablo himself.Diablo III, Act IV. In the aftermath, Tyrael decided to rejoin the Angiris Council, but as a mortal. Heeding the call of the Crystal Arch,2013-10-13, New York Comic Con 2013 Coverage – Book Signing Videos and Photos. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2013-10-13 he would now be the aspect of wisdom. Accepting the Arch's call was one Tyrael made voluntarily—he believed that to ensure a new dawn for angels and humanity, the virtues of wisdom were required more than those of justice. Taking his place, Tyrael vowed that forevermore, Heaven and Sanctuary would stand together.Diablo III, Act IV Ending Cinematic A New Dawn :"Forevermore we shall stand together, angels and men, in the light of this glorious new dawn."'' —Tyrael Through Mortal Eyes Tyrael's euphoria did not last long. His mortal comrades departed Heaven and, now mortal himself, he struggled to find his place. Food and other necessities of mortal life were non-existent in Heaven, and he began to suffer nightmares from the corruption that Diablo had brought to the realm. What had been familiar was now foreboding, and he felt out of place as a mortal amongst his angelic brethren. In the Courts of Justice (his former domain), fleeting visions of every angel who had perished at the hands of Diablo assaulted him. The fallen angels held Tyrael responsible for their deaths. Overcome with guilt, Tyrael lacked the courage to face their judgement and fled. More and more, Tyrael longed for the simplicity of his life as an archangel, to exist beyond mortal limitations. Such yearning reached its apex when he witnessed the Lightsong. Now mortal, he could only watch the event, not take part as he had done so previously. Alienated and alone, Tyrael reflected on his former companions—Cain, Leah, and the nephalem. All of them with the ability to find hope in despair and muster courage in the face of overwhelming fear. Rather than cower from his emotions, Tyrael resolved to face them. Slowly, he adapted to his status. Slowly, he began to notice that something was wrong—with mortal eyes he beheld the High Heavens, and with mortal eyes, he noticed a subtle darkening of the realm, as discordant notes tainted the chorus of the Crystal Arch. And at the cent of this growing disharmony, he beheld the Black Soulstone. The Dissonance In the wake of Diablo's defeat, Tyrael had resumed his involvement with the Angiris Council, though now embodying wisdom. Through his position, he learnt that the Black Soulstone had been recovered by angels under the command of Imperius, and entrusted it to the group. However, Auriel and Imperius remained deadlocked over their approaches on how to deal with the artifact, and Itherael was paralyzed by indecision. Tyrael began to notice the adverse effects the relic was having on his breathren—angels who handled it for extended periods of time were bombarded with dark emotions intrinsic to the Great Evils. He warned the council of the disharmony the stone was creating, but was largely ignored. Imperius claimed Tyrael's aprehension was systemic of "mortal cowardice"—indeed, throughout the council's meetings, Imperius had been loathe to heed Tyrael's suggestions. Imperius held Tyrael responsible for the destruction Diablo had inflicted on Heaven, and claimed that his nature as a mortal prevented him from living up to Malthael's legacy. Tyrael knew there was some truth to such claims, that he had yet to embrace Malthael's aspect fully. Doubtful that he could do so, he refrained from bringing other angels in under his command. Yet Imperius's barbs nonetheless prompted Tyrael to action, and he ventured into the Pools of Wisdom, Malthael's former domain. Peering into Chalad'ar, the Chalice of Wisdom, Tyrael's fears were confirmed—so long as the Black Soulstone remained in the care of angels, it would bring about the downfall of both Heaven and Sanctuary. The task of standing vigil over the relic did not rest with angels, but with mankind, for only they possessed the potential foresight, willpower, and perspective necessary to take on such a burden. However, the council members would never release the Black Soulstone willingly, so Tyrael kept his conclusion a secret and began considering who he could entrust the soulstone to. The Horadrim lingered in his mind, but the order had ceased to exist with Cain's death. Reading Cain's writings however, Tyrael learnt of the existence of the First Ones, a group of scholars who had laid the foundations for a new order. Thus, Tyrael resolved to refound the order, and to entrust it to guard the Black Soulstone. Storm of Light :"I cannot destroy the stone, nor allow its evil to remain within the Heavens. And so it must be hidden. Even from the angels." —Tyrael To strengthen the new order, Tyrael sought out trustworthy mortals whose talents lay in magic and other martial disciplines. These included Jacob of Staalbreak, the wizard Shanar, the monk Mikulov, the Gynvir, and Zayl the necromancer.2013-09-11, Diablo III: Storm of Light — Coming in 2014. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2013-10-01 During this time, he compiled a tome of writings, of his own, and of those of Cain and Leah. Reaper of Souls :"You have done well Horadrim. Your service here is finished and you should all... run." —Tyrael The stone was successfully stolen, but could not be destroyed. After considering various sites, Tyrael and the Horadrim placed the stone in a series of catacombs underneath Westmarch, an ancient nephalem city which housed the Tomb of Rakkis. It did not escape the gaze of Malthael however, the archangel having since taken on the aspect of death. As he held off his former brother-in-arms off, Tyrael dispatched one Horadrim to find the nephalem. He then witnessed Malthael reap the very souls of his mortal foes, and easily withstood Tyrael's attempts to defend himself. He then wounded Tyrael himself, but could not, or would not, take his soul also. Malthael thus proceeded to take the stone for himself, ignoring Tyrael's warnings that the nephalem would stop him.2013-08-21, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Opening Cinematic. YouTube, accessed on 2013-08-22 Tyrael met with his former companions later in Westmarch, currently being overrun by Malthael's thralls.2012-08-21, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Crusader Class Gameplay Demo. YouTube, accessed on 2013-08-22 In-game Diablo II/Lord of Destruction In Diablo II, Tyrael appears as a quest giver at the Pandemonium Fortress in Act IV. In the expansion, he also provides the services of a mercenary captain. He takes gold to revive mercenaries, leading to many calling him a money-hoarder. Blizzard jokingly explained this behavior by saying that Tyrael has to pay certain bills. Diablo III Tyrael falls to Sanctuary after his fall from grace in the High Heavens. He aids the nephalem hero in many tasks during the events of Diablo III, including helping him in the Scouring of Caldeum and the Siege of Bastion's Keep. When Azmodan attacks the castle, Tyrael acts as the soldier's commander. In addition, Tyrael helps the nephalem in fighting his way through Heaven when it falls to Diablo's forces. Tyrael appears in the game's Adventure Mode. He provides the mode's tutorial to the player.2013-11-22, Blizzplanet | Diablo III: Reaper of Souls F&F Beta – Adventure Mode Gameplay as Crusader (Video). Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-01-01 He is voiced by Jonathan Adams in the game. Dialogue :See Tyrael's Dialogue In other games As with Diablo himself, Tyrael makes an appearance in World of Warcraft. He is a non-combat pet, offered at the World Wide Invitational along with a beta key for Wrath of the Lich King, inside a goody bag. It could also be won on different WoW fan-sites, along with the beta keys. A mount called "Tyrael's Charger" was offered to players who signed up for the World of Warcraft annual pass, which guaranteed free access to Diablo III upon its release as well as guaranteed beta entry for Mists of Pandaria, the next WoW expansion. The mount is a horse in golden armor with Tyrael's signature wings. Tyrael will appear in Heroes of the Storm as a playable warrior hero. Personality and Traits Tyrael was once seen as the most rigid of all angels, firm in his adherence to laws, rules, and order. He had a single duty, namely to secure victory for Heaven in the Eternal Conflict. He was renowned for being calm and controlled and meticulous in his execution of combat technique. He wields El'druin, the Sword of Justice. Outside of combat, Tyrael was noted for being fair and impartial, as justice itself must be. Because of Uldyssian's sacrifice, Tyrael underwent a change of heart, and became something of a maverick to Heaven. He intervened on humanity's behalf, despite the edicts of his fellow Council members. Even as a mortal, he stayed true to the ideals of justice.Diablo III, Act II (Cinematic) As a mortal, Tyrael had a little bit of trouble understanding humanity. He couldn't comprehend how humans could press forward, even if they are living in a time of great despair. His true test came when he too was overcome with despair when Diablo assaulted Heaven but his nephalem companions pressed forward. After seeing the Hell rifts close however, Tyrael rejoined his companions and finally understood that although mankind faces death and darkness everyday, they still find the courage to move forward. The human spirit never ceases to amaze him and he has embraced aspects of mortal life such as the ability to dream. Trivia *A statue of Tyrael exists on Blizzard Entertainment's campus.2013-04-18, Would You Buy Blizzard Entertainment Life-Size Figures?. ''Blizzplanet, accessed on 2013-04-19 Smaller action figure collectibles of Tyrael also exist.Diablo 3 III Mini Tyrael Statue From Blizzcon 2011 By Blizzard Entertainment and Sideshow Collectibles, Amazon. Accessed on 2013-07-03Mini Tyrael Statue Collectible Game Cosplay Model Garage Kits, Amazon. Accessed on 2013-07-03 *In a poll conducted by Blizzard, Tyrael was voted as players' favorite Angiris Council member.2013-02-27, Poll: Who's Your Favorite Angiris Council Member?. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2013-04-19 *A Tyrael vinyl statue was set to ship in November, 2013.Funko POP Vinyl Figures – StarCraft II World of Warcraft Diablo III Pre-Orders, Blizzplanet. Accessed on 2013-10-01 *Tyrael's wings can be purchased as a prop for an Xbox Live avatar for $5. After all, as it points out, it's not like he's using them anymore.Tyrael Wings, Xbox Live. Accessed on 2013-10-01 *Týr (of similar name to Tyrael) was a god of justice in Norse mythology. 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